Advertise on podcast: Heartland Stories Radio

This week we are revisiting one of our interviews with Dr. John Ikerd. Dr. John Ikerd is a retired Professor Emeritus of Agricultural & Applied economics at the University of Missouri, author, speaker as well as a leading figure in the sustainability revolution—one who is capable of deep insights but also has the capacity to engage everyone in the conversation and work. Tune in to learn more about: - Lessons learnt from the past, especially the 1980s farm crisis and the current lessons we are learning from the COVID-19 pandemic; - The industrial food system operating as an assembly line; - Food insecurity and how sustainable, regenerative agriculture can change rural communities; Dr. Ikerd emphasizes, "The only way that we can actually deal with the problems and we can create a healthy sustainable food system is to fundamentally change the system". For more information about Dr. Ikerd's work, visit his homepage at www.johnikerd.com.

Jacob Hundt is Executive Director, Board Member and a Faculty member at Thoreau College in Viroqua, Wisconsin. Growing up on a dairy farm in the Driftless Region of southwestern Wisconsin and one of the founding students of the Youth Initiative High School, Jacob gathered inspiration for transformation in higher education through his studies at Deep Springs College, the American University in Bulgaria, and the University of Chicago. Tune in to learn more about: Jacob’s own journey and background that led him into the educational field; Holistic higher education at Deep Springs College; What a microcollege is and what type of education it offers; Thoreau College, its programs, and partnerships in the community; To learn more about Jacob and Thoreau College go to https://thoreaucollege.org/.

Dr. Michelle Perro is a veteran pediatrician with over 40 years of experience in acute and integrative medicine. Dr Perro has transformed her clinical practice to include pesticide and health advocacy more than fifteen years ago. She is also the co-author of the book “What’s Making Our Children Sick” as well as Executive Director of the non-profit scientific website “GMO Science”. Tune in to learn more about: The difference between acute and integrative medicine; The root cause of disease and why food is medicine; The global issue of obesity and insulin resistance chemicals (obesogens) in the food; How Big Ag is supported by the government; What is making our kids sick and the connection between gut and our overall health; How to get off the chemical food wheel; Why being sick is the new normal and how the only way to change it would be to start with the pantry first; Dr. Perro’s new upcoming book “Making Our Children Well”; The link between infertility and pesticides; Why it is important to include more plants into your diet. To learn more about Dr. Perro go to https://drmichelleperro.com/. 

Dr. Molly Jahn is a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she holds appointments in the Department of Agronomy, the Nelson Institute, the Global Health Institute (on leave 2019-20 for Government Service), and a $0 appointment in the Wisconsin School of Law. She is currently on an Interagency Personnel Agreement from UW-Madison to work as a Program Manager at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Tune in to learn more about: The risks in the US food system and why they should be a concern; The multiple breadbasket failure; How COVID revealed the fragility of the food system; The negative effects of driving diversity out of the food system; How conflicts are a real threat to the stability of the food system; The future of microbial foods.  To learn more about Dr. Jahn and her work go to https://jahnresearchgroup.net/who-we-are/molly-jahn/. 

Andy Fisher is the Executive Director of the Ecological Farming Association and has been a leading force for social justice in the anti-hunger and food movements in the U.S. since the mid 1990s. He co-founded and led the Community Food Security Coalition for over 17 years and published his first book “ Big Hunger, The Unholy Alliance between Corporate America and Anti-Hunger Groups” in 2017. Tune in to learn more about: His upbringing in Ohio; How hunger/food insecurity is defined; Food banks are wealthier now compared to before of the pandemic; His book “ Big Hunger, The Unholy Alliance between Corporate America and Anti-Hunger Groups”; How Smithfield donates thousands of pounds of meat to food banks while polluting the environment with their CAFOs; The influence of executives in the food industry that are also sitting on the board of the food banks; Why food banks are not allowed in Scotland and their new model to move away from them. To learn more about Andy go to https://www.bighunger.org/.

This week we are revisiting our interview with Tony Bedard.  Tony Bedard is the Chief Executive Officer of Frontier Co-op, whose mission to nourish people and planet is rooted in corporate social responsibility. Tony has also led more than 25 humanitarian missions to El Salvador and Haiti to support projects in the areas of education, clean water, and healthcare. Tune in to learn more about: - The story of Frontier Co-op and their products; - Tony's story of growing up in rural Iowa in a family with 16 kids and his career starting at Frontier back in 1991; - Frontier Co-op's corporate social responsibility; - Frontier Co-op's apprenticeship program of hiring former inmates, refugees, homeless people and their amazing giving back projects; - The sustainable sourcing program Well Earth Program. To learn more about Frontier Co-op go to https://www.frontiercoop.com. 

This week we are revisiting our interview with Professor Dave Goulson. Dave Goulson is a Professor of Biology at the University of Sussex (England), who specializes in bee ecology. Professor Goulson has published more than 300 scientific articles on the ecology and conservation of bumblebees and other insects, plus seven books, including the Sunday Times bestsellers “A Sting in the Tale” (2013), “The Garden Jungle” (2019), and “Silent Earth” (2021). In 2015 he was named number 8 in BBC Wildlife Magazine’s list of the top 50 most influential people in conservation. In 2018, 2019 and 2020 he was named as a “Highly Cited Researcher” by Thompson ISI. He founded the Bumblebee Conservation Trust in 2006, a charity which has grown to 12,000 members and is a trustee of the Pesticide Action Network, as well as an “Ambassador” for the UK Wildlife Trusts, and president of Pesticide Free Scotland. Tune in to learn more about: His latest book “Silent Earth”, in which in the tradition of Rachel Carson’s groundbreaking environmental classic Silent Spring, he explains the importance of insects to our survival, and offers a clarion call to avoid a looming ecological disaster of our own making; His fascination about insects that started from an early age and why they are important to us and to our lives; The pollination factor, even coffee and cocoa need pollinators; The difference between bumblebees and honeybees, and the unknown fact that there are over 20,000 of known bees species; Neonicotinoids and their negative impact on soil, streams and bees;  Insects as food - and how 80% of the world actually eat insects; Global warming and the impact on insects; His wish for each one of us is to welcome nature, to plant pollinator friendly flowers and don’t spray any pesticides and also to buy local, organic food. To learn more about Professor Goulson's work go to https://profiles.sussex.ac.uk/p126217-dave-goulson. 

Rachael Jones is a farmer and a co-founder of Locavore Farm and Sumac Creek Farm, which are situated 43-miles south of downtown Chicago in Kankakee County, Illinois. In 2013, Rachael was named Economic Development Leader of the Year by the Small Business Administration and in 2019 she received an Innovation in Agriculture Award from Kankakee County on behalf of the Daily Journal. The Joneses have pigs, sheep, chickens, goats and 120 different varieties of organically grown produce on their farm. Tune in to learn more about: Her wonderful story of becoming a homestead farmer; Her idea and model on the gathering around the table to enjoy the food grown on the farm together with friends; The dine on the land program; The challenges with the County on practicing agriculture and also agritourism; What a real locavore is; The education programs they offer on the farm. To learn more about Rachael and The Locavore Farm go to https://www.locavorefarm.com/locavorefarm. 

Dr. Christopher Carter is an assistant professor of theology and religious studies at the University of San Diego and a pastor in the United Methodist Church. He just published his first book “The Spirit of Soul Food: Race, Faith, and Food Justice” and is on the board of directors of Farm Forward, an anti-factory farming non-profit. Tune in to learn more about: His grandfather’s experience being a migrant farm worker picking cotton, and attending school until 4th grade during Jim Crow laws; The colonization of food and why we overlook Indigenous food when we look back in history; The consequence of racial trauma; What soul food is; Why the foundation of our food system is based on structural racism; His own journey on becoming a vegan; About Farm Forward and the anti-factory farming non-profit. To learn more about Dr. Christopher Carter go to https://www.drchristophercarter.com/spirit-soul-food. You can buy his new book here or at your local bookstore. 

Liz Carlisle is an Assistant Professor in the Environmental Studies Program at UC Santa Barbara, where she teaches courses on food and farming. She has written three books about regenerative farming and agroecology: “Lentil Underground” (2015), “Grain by Grain” (2019, with co-author Bob Quinn), and most recently, “Healing Grounds: Climate, Justice, and the Deep Roots of Regenerative Farming” (2022). Tune in to learn more about: Her new book on climate issues, justice and regenerative farming; What we can learn from the ongoing climate chaos; The colonial food system, extractive agriculture and the result of taking carbon out of the soil; The problem with subsidies for corn and soybeans monocultures; Why people of color own just 2 percent of the agricultural land in the US; The amazing stories of women of color reconnecting with the earth and their roots by bringing back bison, preserving forest land, rejecting monoculture, rotating crops and recycling nutrients.  To learn more about Liz go to https://www.lizcarlisle.com. You can order her new book here. 

Tammi Jonas is an agroecologist, farmer, mindful meatsmith, agrarian activist, author and academic with a focus on ethical, ecologically sound and socially-just food system. Tammi is the President of the Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance and the founder and owner of Jonai Farms and Meatsmiths, a 69 acre farm in Eganstown (Australia), where together with her husband, she pasture raises happy, tasty, heritage-breed Large Black pigs. Tune in to learn more about: The story of how as a vegetarian she decided to start a farm and raise Large Black pigs; Capitalistic industrial agriculture vs. ethical small family farms; Why rebuilding the local food system within communities can revitalize local economies; Australia’s efforts to use less herbicides in comparison to the US; Female leadership in agriculture; The grassroots work and programs of the Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance.  To learn more about Tammi’s work go to http://www.tammijonas.com.

Chef Michel Nischan is the founder and Executive Chairman of Wholesome Wave, the founder of Wholesome Crave, and co-founder of the James Beard Foundation’s Chefs Action Network. Michel is a four-time James Beard Award winning chef with over 30 years of leadership advocating for a more healthy and sustainable food system. Tune in to learn more about: Michel’s memories of working on his grandfather’s farm; How a climbing accident pushed him to finally found the non-profit organization Wholesome Wave; The mission of Wholesome Wave to address diet-related diseases by helping low-income Americans buy and eat healthy fruits and vegetables; The lack of affordability for healthy food and the disastrous consequences for the chronically ill; The Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP), a program that brings together stakeholders from various parts of the food and healthcare systems; About Wholesome Crave, a company that creates flavorful, nutritious soups; How health care institutions are trying to improve the quality of their food and how UC Davis Medical Center partnered with Wholesome Crave to offer their soups in their cafes. To learn more about Chef Michel Nischan go to https://www.chefnischan.com.